Service Opportunities for Majors in
COMPUTER, MATHEMATICAL
& PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Community service involves applying your energy, enthusiasm, skills, and desire to make a difference to social issues that concern you. It is an excellent way to gain hands-on experience, enhance job-related skills, explore career options, and meet real community needs. The following are just a few examples of how you can get involved in service related to majors in computer, math, and physical sciences:

· ASTRONOMY:
Volunteer at a community planetarium; take children, shelter residents, people who are disabled, or people who are elderly on star-gazing excursions; do presentations in schools on stars, the solar system, constellations, and the space program; mentor school children and encourage careers in the sciences; be a judge in school science fairs; volunteer in a local, state, or national park as a naturalist.

· COMPUTER SCIENCE:
Tutor other UM students taking computer courses; visit homeless shelters, shelters for battered women, group homes for people who are disabled, drug rehabilitation centers, agencies that serve recent immigrants to the US, and adult literacy classes and offer free word processing and data entry courses; help non-profit organizations, a local volunteer office, or human services agency create a data base; design a computer program to help people who are mentally disabled learn how to work with computers; design programs to assist children in learning computers; create a data processing and analysis program for a community agency; help a volunteer clearinghouse learn how to keep track of their volunteers through a computer program

· GEOLOGY:
Take children, shelter residents, drug rehabilitation clients, or people who are disabled on rock collecting excursions; volunteer at a museum's rock and mineral collection; work with an environmental action group; volunteer to be a judge for a school science fair; volunteer at the Smithsonian or the Science Center.

· MATHEMATICS:
Tutor other UM students, elementary, and secondary school students in math courses; help a teenager living in poverty prepare for college preparatory exams; visit local schools and encourage careers in mathematics; be a teacher’s aid.

· PHYSICS:
Tutor other UM students and high school students taking Physics courses; volunteer to be a judge in an elementary or secondary school science fair; set up a Physics is Phun club in an elementary or secondary school; help out at a science museum or children’s learning center; visit local schools and promote careers in the sciences.

· PHYSICAL SCIENCES:
Work on a project promoting science to elementary school students; start a science demonstration show for area schools; help a professor with research; volunteer at the Smithsonian or the Science Center.

Adelphi/Langley Park Family Support Center
Adelphi, MD (301) 431-6210
Contact: Danitza Simpson, dasimpson@alpfsc.org
Provides adult education, job assistance, and training in computer basics.

Association for Women in Science
Washington, DC (202) 326-8940
Contact: Kathy Ruby, awis@awis.org http://www.awis.org
Strives to achieve equity and full participation for women in science and technology.

H.B. Owens Science Center
Lanham, MD (301) 918-8750
Contact: Martin Tillet, Mtillett@umd5.umd.edu
http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~hbowens/
Provides science enhancement programming for the Prince George’s County school system through a planetarium, nature trail, computer labs and more.

Jamboweb
Silver Spring, MD (301) 254-2409
Contact: Ntale Lukama, ntale@jamboweb.com
http://www.jamboweb.com
Volunteer to teach computers to children and
young adults.

Marian Greenblatt Education Fund, Inc.
Potomac, MD (301) 983-3255
Contact: Marshal Greenblatt, mg840@columbia.edu
http://www.greenblatteducationfund.org
Recognizes high school juniors for excellence in
social studies. Adopted an elementary school to help improve performance in math and reading students.

Public Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy Project
Washington, DC (202) 546-4996
Contact: David Ritter dritter@citizen.org
http://www.citizen.org/cmep
Promotes renewable and energy efficient technologies and nuclear safety issues.

United Community Ministries
Alexandria, VA (703) 768-7106, x15
Contact: Cecilia Verdaretti, volunteer@ucmagency.org
http://www.ucmagency.org
Promotes independence with services including employment assistance, computer training, and financial help

Community Service-Learning
1120 Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park 20742
301-314-CARE—http://www.csl.umd.edu—terpservice@umd.edu

Please Note: Inclusion in Community Service-Learning (CSL) resources is not to be interpreted as an endorsement for any agency or organization listed here. As with any off-campus opportunity, the University is not responsible for any personal injury or loss that might result from your participation. Participants are strongly encouraged to read and implement the Good Questions to Ask and PARE handouts available through CSL. Lastly, be aware of any special requirements or skills necessary to perform the service requested (i.e. construction, carpentry, landscaping) and do not feel compelled to execute tasks which are beyond your capabilities.

8/05